Short Game – Use Your Imagination

Many players seem to use only one club when they are inside of 40 yards of the pin. This cuts down the selection of shots that you can choose from. We have to remember that golf is a game of imagination. This is the most important time to use it. So many players bring a sand wedge or pitching wedge and try to fly the ball close to the hole . That’s fine for basketball but not always for golf . There is no need to fly the ball in the air unless there is a hazard between you and your target. That could be a sand bunker or water or rough. Unless you need to clear one of these to get the ball on the green you don’t need to fly the ball high in the air. A solid 7 or 8 iron bump and run is a great way to control distance. One short shot and then the ball will then release to the hole. The margin of error is up to 40 % less, and the closer you can keep the ball to the ground, the easier it becomes to control distance. We have to remember that there are no rules here. The best way to find out what works for you is to get out there and try different clubs and different trajectories. You will fine tune your shot selection and have more choices than just using one shot and one club when you get close to the green. Think outside of the norm and start to use your imagination.

Want the ball to stay low- play it off your back foot. Normal trajectory- play it in the middle of your stance. High shots- play off of your front foot. Try all of these with different clubs 8 iron through lob wedge. A good way to test this is to hit five shots with each club from 40, 30, 20, and 10 yards. This will help you start to get the feel for each club and each shot trajectory. Once you become comfortable, you will begin to find certain shot types that work better than others. This will add tons of shots to your arsenal and give you many more choices when you are around the green. Remember to use your imagination and try all of these shots from different lies and conditions.

The more you experiment, the bigger choice of shots will become a part of your arsenal.